Seasoned Valley restaurant owner Charlie Harmon started his career in the food and beverage industry at the age of 16 and has spent decades honing his craft. It was a natural progression for this serial restaurateur to create a concept that focuses on unique, tasty, fresh and of course, “eklectic” pizza. To that end, Harmon and his team will open Eklectic Pie in Mesa at 1859 South Stapley Drive, Suite 106 this September.
The concept behind Eklectic Pie was spawned back in 2009 when Harmon’s family couldn’t agree on what pizza toppings they wanted during a Super Bowl game—the family decided everyone should throw their creation into the ring—and the original concept for Eklectic Pie was born.
“As a family we started a conversation about the need for a pizza restaurant that offered a ton of personal choice, and pushed the boundaries past traditional red sauce pies,” said Harmon.
In fact, Eklectic Pie will offer nine different sauces on their menu including: Marinara, Alfredo, Basil Pesto, BBQ, Buffalo, Chipotle, Jalapeno Cilantro Lime Cream, Chinese Spicy Chile and Olive Oil.
Many ingredients on Eklectic Pie’s menu are locally sourced including Queen Creek Olive Oil, meats from The Pork Shop, Venezia Bakery baked goods and China Mist Iced Teas. In addition Eklectic Pie uses premium quality meats including all-natural, 100% hormone free chicken on their pizzas and in other recipes. All dough, sauces and dressings are made from scratch daily with no added preservatives. The flour Eklectic Pie uses for their pizza dough is also all-natural and additive-free, imported from Italy and they use organic, San Marzano organic tomatoes in their sauces.
“You won’t find a heat lamp, microwave or freezer at Eklectic Pie,” said Harmon, “only the freshest ingredients and the highest quality food is on our menu.”
Each pizza at Eklectic Pie is priced at $5.49 for a seven inch or $7.99 for an 11-inch pie with endless topping combinations.
Pizza lovers can select a pie from the Eklectic Pie “Wall of Fame” including such creations like the “Sedona,” topped with chipotle sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, grilled chicken, jalapenos, black beans, corn, red onion, sour cream and guacamole or the “Wine Country,” which is loaded with Alfredo sauce, mozzarella, gorgonzola, caramelized onion, walnuts, spinach and finished with a balsamic fig vinaigrette. There are nine other “Wall of Fame” pizza options to choose from.
Eklectic Pie also offers a “make-your-own” pizza option with traditional or gluten free dough ($2 additional charge) and nine sauces, eight kinds of cheese, 10 meat options, 16 vegetable toppings, five kinds of fruit and nuts, and 13 “finishers” including items like spinach, sprouts, basil, cilantro and more.
“We thought it was important to offer more dietary or life-style choice products to be included on our menu. Gluten free crusts are made in our kitchens daily. We offer toppings such as non-dairy cheese and tofu as a non-meat choice and organic vegetables where and when possible. That obsession with variety and quality is what we believe is the ‘Eklectic’ difference,” said Eklectic Pie president Jay Johnson.
Eklectic Pie’s menu does not stop at pizza—they offer Italian Gondola sandwiches ($7.49 each), Salads ($7.29 each), Kid’s Meals, Boylan’s all natural pure cane sugar soft drinks, China Mist Iced Tea, Arizona craft beer and wine, plus a mouthwatering baked cookie dessert, s’mores pie or the Fruity Pietuitti.
“The options are nearly endless,” said Harmon. “There is something for every taste bud ranging from classic to very unique.”
Eklectic Pie pizzas are cooking using the latest oven technology creating a perfect crust in three minutes. Additionally, they have a special online ordering system in place for busy pizza fans on the go available at www.eklecticpie.com. A customer loyalty program will launch when the restaurant opens and will offer rewards for repeat purchases and more.
